


Between Scylla and Charybdis

by dschauhara



Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Help, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 03:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17297063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dschauhara/pseuds/dschauhara
Summary: Morgan Lamb once told Chandler she would always know when someone lies. Turns up someone else does not belief it and tells the lovely DI so.





	Between Scylla and Charybdis

**Author's Note:**

> First: all the characters (but the German DCI) do not belong to me!  
> Second: It is the first time I tried to write something in English and hope -REALLY - that its not too awful. Please keep in mind: English is NOT my mother tongue and I have not many opportunities to speak or write it.

„That´ s total crap.“

Time is standing still in the incident room.  
Kent feels like frozen.  
Did he really hear that?  
Ok that German DCI is a bit forward (quite forward to be honest) and he really cannot say why he likes her for that trait as it is a constant source of embarrassment for DI Chandler, but that?

The brown-haired woman repeats:  
„That´ s crap. No one can always tell when you lie. I mean think about all those sociopaths that lurk around and no one ever thinks they lie. Even not those really close to them. They delude professionals, too.“

Chandler looks irked and snapps:  
„When you have studied psychology and worked in that field for several years then of course you will realize when someone is lying to you. Especially in a relationship.“

„Yeah sometimes,“ the German DCI retorts, „when it comes to the job probably often, but not always. Not even a professional can do that. And in relationships? No way, it´ s far too close. What do you think, that psychologists or psychiatrists can read minds? That they have no blind spots? Someone who says that he or she can always tell when someone is lying is either totally deluded or trying to show off. I tell you, I knew guys in German police, psychologists, who told me that kind of shit and really they just wanted to aggrandize themselves or hoped to get laid because one was soooo impressed.“

Temperature is falling in the room while everyone sees that Chandler is rumbling like a volcano on the brink of erupting.  
Of course the German does not know about Morgan and Kent only knows what Morgan Lamb said about ‚Always knowing when a partner lied‘ because Chandler told Miles and Miles told the rest of them once in the Pub when he was really pissed.  
They tried to laugh about it.  
Really who says something like that to someone he or she just met? Always knowing when someone is lying. It was really showing off.  
Of course they did not laugh.  
It still felt strange after all these months that she died right in the police station only when one of them had left the room. Though it hit Chandler the hardest (or probably Kent even more though for other reasons), everyone was uneasy about the subject of Morgan Lamb.  
More so when Chandler was around who luckily just skipped that special pub-night (like so many others).

And now this.  
This German DCI, female, 47 years old, high flyer of German Federal police, happily married with two kids, self-assured, tough and part of the exchange project that was a matter of personal importance for the Commander.  
This foreign DCI telling Chandler off in front of everyone in the middle of an investigation, hitting a sore spot (or better THE sore spot) of unsettled DI Chandler.

—————————————-

In the beginning they just watched as the DCI breezed in, always smiling, joking across all hierarchy levels and talking something between English from Shakespeare and gutter language. She soon conquered every resistance, even that of Miles who was quite prejudiced when it came to Germans due to the Blitz (even though he was born twenty years later).

The commander simply loved her, no one could get why. She really was not the upper-class kind of officer (always reserved, always professional, elegant and ambitious) that would easily win the heart of the Commander. Still she did it with her own special charm. She got his personal mobile number that got them once out of a tight spot in an investigation.  
Chandler fumed, of course.

Kent wondered why he liked her so much when she could bring Chandler close to a nervous breakdown just by entering the room, even after five months. Probably that was the reason (strange as it was) or their mutual liking of Punk from the eighties.

During their first booze-up she charmed Mansell by bringing a whole crate of Bavarian beer and Riley by introducing her to Alsatian Gewürztraminer. Her jokes were so rude that Miles snorted with laughter and forgave her for throwing up in the fish pond (probably the carps liked it). 

She could laugh about herself and her often flawed English. „Talking Denglish“ became a stock phrase in the station soon, introduced by herself.

One could say she was the absolute opposite of Chandler though she knew her profession and was a force to be reckoned with when it came to solve the cases they got.  
When she called Chandler in the incident room ‚an arrogant prick that is so self-centered that he would sooner drive everyone mad than tackle his own problems and should pull the stick out of his arse‘ Kent could hardly keep himself from laughing.

He knew he should hate her for this.  
For irritating Chandler like that.  
For being able to keep the team together when Chandler was still grandiosely failing to do so, reveling in his self-hate after the disaster with Morgan.  
For being such an easy person.  
He just could not.

———————————————-

She was the one who found him hiding in the loo after a bashing he got from Chandler and took him in her arms, hold him till he could cry no more.  
When they went for a walk in the park after the shift he told her everything about Chandler and she just seemed to understand - that he was ashamed of himself that he could not let go, that he hated to be in love with his boss, that there was no way of stopping like in a train crash where the momentum will take everything right to the end, right to the disaster.

„But he knows,“ she said. 

„I hope not,“ Kent answered.

„Still he does. And he reciprocates.“

Kent laughed. It sounded hollow and bleak.  
„Yeah, sure.“

„Believe me. He does. He just do not know how to act. He is so afraid of everything, especially himself that he is totally stuck in shit creek.“

Kent waited and felt that hated tiny spark of hope in his breast.  
„And …?“

„It is up to you I think. You can act on it or you can leave it.“

„I could not. It would be totally embarrassing and it will lead to nothing anyway.“

„That is not true. It will lead to a decision. I can´ t promise to a happy end. But ask yourself - do you want to keep going on like that? I mean always stuck in the middle between?“

„Between what?“

„Between Scylla and Charybdis?“

„What?“

She laughed.  
„Between the devil and the deep blue see, between disaster and no-hope… You know there is a saying in Germany: An end with terror is better than terror without ending.“

Even though he was not convinced Kent felt better.

————————————————————-

And now this - this debacle that is evolving right under their noses.  
About freaking bloody Morgan Lamb again.  
How much Kent is fed up with her and her impact on Chandler, her impact on them all. 

Probably now the ‚end with terror‘ is dawning on them. 

Still he feels quite exhilarated - it might be the adrenalin kicking in. For a moment he thinks he should search for the „Ride of the Valkyries“ on iTunes on his mobile but he knows it is most likely pure horror that makes him giddy.  
So he just watches the event unfolding.

Chandler is changing colour while trying to restrain himself.  
„I have it by a reliable source…“

But the DCI interrupts.  
„Than that source is bullshit, sorry to disenchant you. I do not know who or why he or SHE did tell you that, but no. That person was deluding you and I can´ t imagine for any other reason than for manipulating you.“

They stay facing each other, arms crossed and one could hear a pin drop.  
The moment stretches than Chandler turns on the spot, leaving the incident room in wide strides, wrath and despair coiling around him like shadows.

After the creaky doors fall in the lock everyone stays mute until the German turns to Kent and grins:  
„Now it´ s your turn. Good luck DC Kent.“

The team is watching (still mouthes agape) as Kent suddenly picks up his coat frantically and leaves in search of DI Chandler. The doors bang shut again as he is hurrying down the corridor.

Miles is the first to speak after clearing his throat:  
„And that was about…“

The German raises an eyebrow.  
„You told me about that woman, Miles. Morgan soundso can´ t recall her family name. And then I investigated. For the sake of Chandler and Kent and you all.  
I see this team is in tatters and I keep asking myself ‚why?‘. Because you are good, really good and you could perform even better. But something is amiss.  
And then I hear about this Morgan, by chance when we were meeting for barbecue, let me think… probably four weeks ago. You remember? When it started raining and you all were so pissed off with me when I mentioned the typical English summer and that we got about 30 degrees in Frankfurt right then?  
Yeah I know that would trigger your memory.  
You told me when everyone was gone what happened to her. To Morgan. And what it did to you all. And afterwards I snooped around, poked about, being quite a sleuth, I tell you.  
As a result of all my hard work I concluded she was quite a bitch. I know one does not trash the dead, but still in my opinion she was a piece of shit.  
I cannot prove it but the more I read, the more I listened to you and others, the more I stuck my tiny nose into things that were not my business, the more I got the feeling someone set her on Chandler.  
Still this is only a feeling. I cannot prove it.  
But the way she acted and then how close she was to the perpetrator. And that she just seemed to be perfect for DI Chandler, besides that he of course was always more interested in Kent but could not admit it. But that´ s another story.  
Yes, the more I pondered the whole thing the more I got the feeling in my guts: It seemed like she was set on him or even on you all, the whole team via Chandler.  
Still nasty way to end, sure about it."

She pauses, then:  
"But the sway she has on Chandler, on you all, it is not healthy. After six months for crying out loud. I mean, they were not married, they just met.  
She was no close friend to no one in the team and still all this revering silence, this hushed up voices when it comes to her.  
And Chandler, arrogant uptight bastard that he is … but even I say it´ s not fair that he is tearing himself apart just because a woman that was a bit friendly and a bit understanding - to which end we will probably never know - got killed here in the station.  
But of course she pressed all his buttons - the damsel in distress that still seems tough and professionally and clever. Good looking as far as I could tell from the photos. Someone who could handle Chandlers OCD. I presume he supposed that at least.  
And all the while lovely Kent is just in front of his nose and he does not act because of an ill-timed case of loyalty and sense of guilt. Thinking she would have been his savior.  
Time to push her from her throne don´ t you agree?  
Besides did really, I mean REALLY, no one of you think she was too perfect to be true? Oh never mind, probably you were all too close…"

She pauses again and grins:  
"When I consider - it makes out a case for what I said before. That no one can always tell when someone else is lying, even a whole bunch of professionals like you.  
Nevertheless I thought it was time to set something in motion.“

Riley intervenes:  
„But how do you know it will turn out fine - for Kent and Chandler?“

„I do not know. But being stranded between Scylla and Charybdis… Better they get the opportunity to settle it for good, don´ t you think? And right now Chandler is unhinged enough to let his guards crumble… Let´ s press our thumbs“

„What?“

„She means ‚Let´ s cross our fingers‘.“

„Oh sorry, my Denglish again…“


End file.
